To Fish or Not to Fish

Is that really a question?
There is a small organization of students who take this opportunity to do this as a sport. The anglers club began when graduate Cameron Carter inquired about starting this club up during his freshman year, and it is now fully advised by math teacher Kirk Clugston.

“Mr. Foyt asked me (to sponsor this club) because he knew I like to fish,” Clugston said.

“He came to me with those people’s names, Cameron Carter and his mom, and said ‘we need you to do this, it’s super easy, you like fishing, do you wanna do it?’ So I said yeah, and that’s where it started.”

Cameron Carter was initially been part of the 4-H Magnolia Club, essentially FFA for young kids, as a freshman. Mr. Clugston was asked to help out with the club not long after it was established. Members get the chance to compete with each other and other schools to possibly be awarded scholarship money.

“You’re really against your own team, but the team can earn points for the school,” Clugston said, “We could have a team that places first and a team that places fourth and a team that places fifteenth, but together you get a lump sum of points based off of that.”

The club is active the entire year with members practicing and working hard whenever they have the time to.

“They go out in the morning, at daylight they can start fishing, they don’t have to be in at a certain time. Then they weigh their fish and go home.”

As the years have gone by, the anglers club has dwindled down to at least 12 members, with previous members either graduating or leaving for other reasons. It is a costly hobby to be part of as well.

“We lose people that are actively involved because it does require a boat and some kids don’t have a boat,” Clugston said

Despite the ups and downs with the club, Clugston will not give up on the opportunity of allowing kids to do what they love.

“I do it because I think it’s a good thing for the kids to have an opportunity to do that because a lot of our kids don’t do any sports or anything,” Clugston said, “it’s a way for them to be involved in a non-typical way.”